gilbert



@geiten tets @stent @fitta THOMAS B. DE FOREST .AND` THOMAS S. GILBERT,BIRMINGHAM.

CONNECTICUT.

Letters Patent No. 73,440, dated January 21, 1868.

IMPROVEMENT IN CORSET-SPRINGS.

TO ALL WHOM IT MAYv CONCERN Be it known that we, T. B. DE FOREST and T.S. GILBERT, et' Birmingham, in the county of New Haven, and State ofConnecticut, have invented a new Improvement in',Corsct-Steels; and wedo hereby declare the following, when taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings, and the letters of reference marked thereon/to bea full, clear, and exact description ofthe same, and which said'drawingsconstitute part of this specification, and represent, in i Figure 1, e.front view, and in Figures 2 and 3, transverse-sections enlarged.

This invention relates to an improvement in the steels such as are usedfor corset-fronts, and to which the clasp is attached, and consists inuniting two or more narrow strips of iiat steel, secured so as to retainthem in their position of edge to edge by thc clasp which surroundsthem.

In order to the clear understanding of our improvement, we will proceedto describe the samo as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. i l

A is the one steel, B the other, C the l1ooks,`D the eyes, in generalappearance similar to the common corset-steels. i I

To form each of the steels, A and B, we take two or more pieces ofcovered wire, and stitch or secure them together, edge to edge, thonover the several parts place the hooks or eyes, as the case may be, soas torete-in them in the lat or edge position, as seen in g. 1. Thisconstruction is shown enlarged in section, tig. 3, the black denotingthe wire or steel, and yellow the eovering; or, if preferred, we insert'two or more wires in to the braiding-machine, the `machine beingconstructed so as to braid around and between thc wires, as denoted inIig. 3, and thus unite all the wires by the process oi' covering. Then'the wires are cut to a proper length, and their ends protected by ametallic clasp, as denoted in iig. 1.

By this construction the-steels are produced at much less expense thanthe broad steel, and are far superior, in that when formed of a singlebroad plate they frequently break, and the steel is thereby destroyed,whereas, by our improvement, if one of the strands of wire breaks,others are left so that the steel, though injured, is not destroyed VAnothermethod but we thinlr not as practicalis to form in a fabricseveral pockets, and insert the wires into the respective pockets, andclasp and finish as before described.

We do not vrish to be understood as broadly claiming uniting severalwires within a covering, edge to edge,

as such is not new; but having thus fully dcscribedour invention,

What we do claim as new and useful, and desire to secure by LettersPatent, is- A The herein-described corset-steel, consisting of two ormore wires or steels, united and secured in position by the clasps, inthe manner specified, as an article of manufacture.

'r1-IOS. B. DE FOREST, Tues. s. GILBERT.`

Witnesses:

JOHN H. SHUMWAY, A. J. Tranne.

